Headlines on November 7 proclaimed “Tammy Baldwin wins Wisconsin Senate seat, becoming first openly gay U.S. Senator.” Baldwin had managed a stunning five-point victory, defeating former governor Tommy Thompson in one of 2012’s most-watched Senate races. The “first openly gay U.S. Senator” moniker has followed Baldwin in all subsequent media coverage; rarely does her name make the news without some mention of her status as an out lesbian.
Baldwin is no stranger to Capitol Hill, having served as the U.S. Representative from Wisconsin’s 2nd District (which includes Madison), for the past fourteen years. First elected to national office at age 35, she was the youngest woman in the House of Representatives and the first female representative in Wisconsin’s history. Now, she makes history again as Wisconsin’s first female senator. She took office on January 3rd with more legislative experience than any other newly-elected senator.
Baldwin’s barrier-breaking win coincided with a string of major victories for the LGBT community this election cycle. Maine, Maryland, and Washington became the first states to legalize same-sex marriage by ballot initiative, and voters in Minnesota defeated a ballot initiative to ban same-sex marriage. Interestingly, Baldwin’s Senate tenure begins as Representative Barney Frank’s (D-MA) thirty-two year tenure as the first voluntarily out U.S. Representative ends.
As co-founder and co-chair of the LGBT Equality Caucus, Baldwin has made her stance on issues such as Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell and equal rights for same-sex partners unequivocally clear. More broadly, her membership in the Congressional Progressive Caucus and staunchly Democratic voting record have established her as one of the most liberal members of Congress.
Clearly, Baldwin should not be pigeonholed as a single-issue senator. While her reputation as a crusader for LGBT rights is well deserved, she has also made healthcare reform a top priority. Baldwin was one of the early voices in the healthcare debate, making healthcare reform a cornerstone of her 1998 House campaign. She lobbied extensively for a universal healthcare system during her House tenure, introducing the Health Security for All Americans Act in 2000. Baldwin’s proposal would have required states to provide universal coverage, but the bill died in committee. It was reintroduced unsuccessfully three more times in 2002, 2004, and 2005.
As a member of the House Energy and Commerce Committee, Baldwin was a prominent voice in shaping the legislation that would later become the Affordable Care Act. During House committee deliberations on health care legislation, she made clear her position “that a single-payer health system is the best way to comprehensively and fairly reform our health care system.” The bill that initially passed the House included a government-run public option, which Baldwin said she hoped would ultimately lead to a single-payer system.
As Senator from Wisconsin, Baldwin has been assigned to four Senate committees: Budget; Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs; the Special Committee on Aging; and Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP), which puts her in an optimal position once again to influence healthcare reform during her Senate tenure. During her Senate campaign, Baldwin made the implementation of Obamacare her primary goal and largely deflected questions about her plans for single-payer healthcare or a public option. It seems unlikely, however, that she has completely abandoned her goal of implementing a public option. While her House website praises the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act as “an important step” in providing healthcare for all Americans, the legislation as it stands still leaves some uninsured, an issue she will likely attempt to address in the next six years.
As one of the rising stars of the Democratic Party, Baldwin is a politician to watch—not only for her groundbreaking achievements in shattering the glass and rainbow ceilings, but perhaps more importantly for the impact she is poised to have on healthcare reform, which may be one of the hallmark accomplishments of this generation.
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